Kobe Small-Group Nada Sake Brewery District Walking Tour with Tastings and Lunch

Explore Kobe's Nada sake district on an English-guided small-group walking tour with three brewery tastings and a seasonal Japanese lunch.

Getting started

Begin by meeting your English-speaking local guide in Kobe’s Nada sake district at the designated starting point. After a short introduction to Nada Gogo and the route for the day, set off on a guided walking tour through a local neighborhood away from the city’s major tourist sites. The first stop is one of the three featured breweries, where your tasting journey begins.

What to expect

Hakutsuru

Hakutsuru is one of the renowned breweries of Nada Gogo, a region known as one of Japan’s most historic sake-producing areas. This stop introduces you to how the brewery approaches production, its traditions, and its philosophy.

Features

• Approximately 3 to 5 sake tastings are provided here, giving you a first comparison point for styles, aromas, and flavor profiles in Nada Gogo.
• Your expert English-speaking guide explains how sake is made at Hakutsuru, highlighting specific steps in the process and how they influence the character of each pour.
• As part of the guided walking tour of the Nada district, this visit includes time to observe the brewery environment and understand how it fits into local Kobe life.

Kiku-Masamune

Kiku-Masamune is another of Nada’s established breweries, offering a different take on the region’s brewing traditions. This stop builds on what you learned at Hakutsuru so you can start contrasting house styles.

Features

• You taste approximately 3 to 5 varieties again, which allows you to compare Kiku-Masamune’s approach with the previous stop and notice differences in aroma and flavor.
• With your English-speaking local guide, you hear about Kiku-Masamune’s history and unique philosophy, focusing on how these ideas translate into the sake you sample.
• The walk between Hakutsuru and Kiku-Masamune continues your exploration of Nada Gogo, keeping you in a local Kobe neighborhood rather than the city’s main tourist areas.

Sakura Masamune

Sakura Masamune completes the trio of featured breweries in Nada Gogo. By this point in the route, you have a broad view of how three major producers interpret the same regional conditions.

Features

• A further set of approximately 3 to 5 tastings at Sakura Masamune lets you round out your comparison of styles from all three breweries visited.
• Your guide helps you evaluate the different sake profiles you have tried so far, tying together the traditions, techniques, and philosophies of Hakutsuru, Kiku-Masamune, and Sakura Masamune.
• This final brewery stop is still part of the small-group guided walking tour, which is limited to a relaxed maximum of six guests and is suitable for both first-time sake drinkers and experienced enthusiasts.

Seasonal Japanese lunch

After visiting the breweries in Nada Gogo, the experience shifts from tastings to a seated meal.

Features

• A seasonal Japanese lunch is included, giving you a chance to sit down and enjoy regional cuisine that reflects the time of year.
• Lunch also serves as a natural moment to discuss favorites from the approximately 3 to 5 sake tastings at each brewery and to ask your English-speaking guide any remaining questions about Nada Gogo and its brewing culture.